Tag: UCLA

UCLA gymnast Nia Dennis absolutely killed her Beyonce routine

This is soooooo good

If you don’t know who Nia Dennis is by now, you’d better get to know her. Her amazing floor routines are absolutely taking over the internet.

The UCLA junior wowed us before by spelling her actual name in the air during one of her routines. This year, on her 21st birthday, she got busy on the floor to a bunch of Beyonce hits in an absolutely stunning performance.

First of all, with anything that you do in life, bringing Beyonce into the picture in any way, shape or form absolutely helps. Nia clearly has some great taste in music.

But that wasn’t it — just watch her moves. You absolutely love to see it. And the way she stuck that landing at the end? *chefs kiss*

 

Dennis’ routine only earned a 9.975 from the judges, which is still an absolutely great score! But, somehow, it still feels criminally underrated.

And, listen, I know absolutely nothing about judging gymnastics. But if Chadwick Boseman can judge dunks, I can judge this. This is easily a 10. Bonus points for hitting the woah at the 50 second mark.

This performance from Dennis, somehow, did not win the competition for UCLA — they were juuuust beaten by Utah, 198.075-198.025.

It’s alright, though. They didn’t win the competition but they absolutely won the internet.

Salute, Nia. Salute.

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Former Jets assistant Karl Dorrell named University of Colorado head coach

Karl Dorrell, who coached the Jets wide receivers from 2015-18 was officially announced as the next head coach of Colorado on Sunday.

The University of Colorado officially hire former Jets assistant coach Karl Dorrell as its next head coach on Sunday.

Dorrell will get a five-year, $18 million deal, which is pending approval from Colorado’s Board of Regents, according to a statement released by the school. He will succeed Mel Tucker, who left Colorado  to replace Mark Dantonio at Michigan State. Dantonio resigned a day before National Signing Day.

Dorrell has ties to the Jets, as he coached the team’s wide receivers from 2015-18 as a member of Todd Bowles’ staff. In 2015, Dorrell oversaw a wide receiver room that included the elite duo of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Marshall and Decker both had 1,000-yard seasons, combining for 26 touchdowns and 189 catches.

Dorrell is a former University of Colorado assistant, too. He was the program’s wide receivers coach in 1992 and 1993 and returned to be the offensive coordinator from 1995-98. Now, Dorrell is making his third and presumably final stop in Boulder.

He returns to the Pac-12 after being the head coach at UCLA from 2003-07. There, Dorrell compiled a 35-27 record in five seasons. His teams went to four bowl games.

As a coach, Dorrell has also made college stops at UCF, Northern Arizona, Arizona State, Washington and Vanderbilt. In his most recent college coaching gig as Vanderbilt’s offensive coordinator, Dorrell was fired after just one season, which lead him back to the NFL.

Most recently, Dorrell was the Dolphins assistant head coach and wide receivers coach. He was hired by Brian Flores after the Jets elected to part ways with Bowles and his entire staff.

USC Rejoins Notre Dame & UCLA – Good For Them, I Guess

I’ll admit as a fan that I like that Notre Dame has never gone to the FCS level in order fill out a schedule and hope they never do.  At the same time I’m well aware that it really doesn’t matter when you’re scheduling a good amount of poor programs.

Three teams in college football history have never played an FCS foe.  By this time you’re probably aware that Notre Dame is one while the two Los Angeles schools, UCLA and USC are the other two.

It appeared that USC was going to come off of that list as they had a 2021 game scheduled against UC-Davis but plans have changed and that has been called off because USC announced Thursday they’re replacing UC-Davis with San Jose State and will remain the small group to never play an FCS opponent.

I get it before you even start to get your thoughts and remarks in.  San Jose State is not good.  They’re awful, in fact.  They’ve won an average of three games each of their last four seasons and don’t look like they’ll be turning a corner anytime soon.

I however also know to try and not throw stones while living in a glass house.  Notre Dame is on this list but has played traditional powerhouses like Massachusetts, Miami of Ohio, Bowling Green, New Mexico in recent years.

I’ll admit as a fan that I like that Notre Dame has never gone to the FCS level in order fill out a schedule and hope they never do.  At the same time I’m well aware that it really doesn’t matter when you’re scheduling a good amount of poor programs.

So good for USC, I guess.

Even if it really doesn’t matter.

Steph Curry spends time with ‘We Believe’ Warriors legend at UCLA

Former Warriors, and “We Belive” era hero, Baron Davis was in attendance at UCLA for the Warriors recent practice, and Stephen Curry showed his respect for the retired guard.

There is no doubt that when Stephen Curry is around the Golden State Warriors, everything just feels better around the squad. Golden State plays with a higher level of energy and there’s an extra coach on the bench. As he’s taking steps towards returning from a broken hand injury he suffered in late October, the two-time Most Valuable Player has been able to be around the team on a more consistent basis.

Curry has been able to be at practice in San Francisco, with his most recent hurdle traveling on road trips with Golden State. However, Curry was able to leap that mark, and travel with the team on their recent two-game road trip starting in Los Angeles and ending in Memphis.

While the Warriors were in Los Angeles, they had a pregame shootaround in Pasadena at the UCLA basketball gym. UCLA alum and current Warriors center, Kevon Looney led the team into practice at his old stomping grounds, but he wasn’t the only former Bruin in attendance.

Former Golden State point guard, Baron Davis was at practice watching his former NBA team. After finishing up his shooting workout with Draymond Green, current Warriors’ guard, Curry said hello to the ‘We Beleive’ era legend.

After the practice, Davis took to Twitter to say Curry is one of his favorite all-time players.

Davis, who spent three seasons in Golden State from 2005-2008 retired in 2012. However, Davis hasn’t left the game completely, participating in the ‘Big 3’ League for “Three’s Company.” Davis was inducted to the UCLA Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

Most notably, Davis led the Warriors to an improbable playoff upset in 2007 against the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors “We Believe” playoff run was punctuated with a vicious Dunk by Davis over Andrei Kirilenko and the Utah Jazz in the second round.

Outside of Curry, Green and a few journeyman NBA veterans, the Golden State current roster is extremely young, Having a 13-year NBA veteran around the team, even if it’s just for one practice could provide a boost to a team that’s currently riding a seven-game losing streak.

Draymond Green dons a new jersey number at Warriors practice in L.A.

After losing six-straight games, the Golden State need to take new measures to end their losing streak. For Draymond Green he used rookie, Alen Smailagic’s No. 6 jersey at a recent Warriors’ practice.

The start of the new decade hasn’t been kind to the Golden State Warriors. Since the ball dropped in New York City at Times Square to ring in the new year, the Warriors haven’t won a game.

To cap off 2019, Golden State won four of its last six games, but 2020 has been an unwelcome wake-up call. The Warriors have been missing their leading scorer, D’Angelo Russell, in every game of 2020. Without Russell, the team is averaging under 100 total points per game over their last four contests.

Losing streaks can be hard to shake. Some individuals take extreme measures to snap a losing streak, for former Defensive Player of the Year, Draymond Green, it could be as simple as a jersey swap.

Before the struggling Dubs tipped off against the Los Angeles Clippers, the team practiced at UCLA in Pasadena and Green suited up a little different. Green was spotted wearing rookie Alen Smailagic’s No. 6 practice jersey during the team’s morning shootaround.

Smailagic is coming off a career-high 10 points against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks — it looks like Green is taking notice of the 19-year-old Serbian product.

Things don’t get any easier on the Warriors when the team travels to Staples Center to face Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers sit at third place in the Western Conference with only 12 losses on the season.

The Clippers could extend the Warriors losing streak to tie a 2019-20 season-high of seven straight losses. If the Warriors can break their losing streak, Green might have to stick with the rookie’s practice jersey for a while.

Notre Dame fans tease UCLA with LiAngelo Ball chants

LiAngelo Ball never played for UCLA, but his name and shoplifting incident in China is plenty of ammunition for opposing fans.

LiAngelo Ball never played a meaningful game for the UCLA bruins due to his high-profile arrest in China in 2017, but his name is apparently still synonymous with the school for opposing fans.

When UCLA visited Notre Dame for their matchup on Saturday, fans of the Fighting Irish serenaded the Bruins on the court with LiAngelo Ball chants, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times:

Bolch also reported Notre Dame’s fans mocked Jalen Hill, who was one of the three UCLA players arrested for shoplifting in China in 2017 along with Ball:

The teams combined to make five of their first 26 shots, leaving it up to the saucy Notre Dame students to provide the fun. They serenaded Hill with chants of “How was China?” when he shot free throws, referring to his international shoplifting incident from two years ago, and got even shrewder in the second half.

Ultimately, it was just playful taunting from a hostile home crowd, but it’s also a sign of how hard it’s going to be for Ball to shake that reputation. For someone that’s hoping to land a job in the NBA, that’s bad news, and the fact that he made light of the situation not too long ago probably doesn’t help his case.

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Even if Ball proves he’s talented enough to play in the NBA, his China scandal is something that he’ll have to overcome, which is clearly easier said than done.

Notre Dame Basketball: Irish Never Let Up vs. UCLA

When one thinks about Notre Dame and UCLA coming together, only one memory comes to mind: Two figures involved in that historic game, Digger Phelps and Bill Walton, were part of the ABC broadcast when these teams met again Saturday. If viewers …

When one thinks about Notre Dame and UCLA coming together, only one memory comes to mind:

Two figures involved in that historic game, Digger Phelps and Bill Walton, were part of the ABC broadcast when these teams met again Saturday. If viewers tuning in were more focused on the shenanigans between those two, it probably was because the Irish had what became a 75-61 win well in hand.

The Irish (7-3) continued the 3-point barrage they had against Detroit Mercy. After John Mooney’s opening two-point basket, Notre Dame’s next six field goals came from beyond the arc.  In fact, 24 of their 31 first-half points were scored there. Any second-half run by the Bruins (7-3) was answered (a total of 15 3-pointers helped), and that was the game.

Prentiss Hubb scored 15 of his game-high 20 points from 3-point range. Dane Goodwin made 3 treys off the bench while contributing 16 points. TJ Gibbs had four 3-pointers as part of his 15 points, and John Mooney joined the double-double club again with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love recall UCLA thermostat battles

Russell Westbrook recalls thermostat battles with Cavs forward Kevin Love at UCLA, with the Rockets star wanting it as warm as 80 degrees.

Wednesday’s game between the Rockets and Cavaliers featured a reunion between Houston guard Russell Westbrook and Cleveland forward Kevin Love, who played college basketball together in the 2007-08 season at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Westbrook and Love were roommates off the court and stars on it, leading the Bruins to the NCAA Final Four that year. With each now 31 years old, they remain close friends to this day.

But their stint as roommates on road trips didn’t come without normal disagreements. In a light-hearted interview at Houston’s practice, Westbrook told AT&T SportsNet Southwest‘s Cayleigh Griffin that they argued over what temperature to keep their room at overnight.

When Griffin mentioned that she had heard they bickered over room temperature, the former NBA MVP responded with a smile:

Damn right we did. … Kevin likes the room really, really cold, and I hate it. If I was asleep, Kevin used to sneak to the therometer and turn it up really cold. And when he was asleep, I would go put it at 80 [degrees].

I hate being cold. That’s one of my pet peeves. We used to go back and forth about it all year long. Either I was waking up freezing, or he was waking up in a bed full of sweat. It’s something that we joke about now, but it was definitely something we did each road trip.

Both Westbrook and Love have since become All-Star players in the NBA. Westbrook helped lead the Rockets in Wednesday’s win at Cleveland with 23 points (45% shooting), seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals, while Love had 17 points (57.1% shooting) and 11 rebounds for the Cavs.

Perhaps best of all for both men, NBA road trips allow all players to have separate rooms and to control their own thermostats.

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Game Recap: MSU Basketball defeats UCLA 75-62

Michigan State Basketball defeats the UCLA Bruins 75-62 in their final Maui Jim Maui Invitational game. Here is a quick game recap.

Maui wowie, what a game! Michigan State defeates UCLA 75-62 in their final Maui Jim Maui Invitational game. The Spartans pulled away late in the second half. No question that MSU did not meet fan expectations in this particular game and the tournament as a whole.

Here is a quick game recap:

First Half

Michigan State really struggled early on, mostly due to UCLA’s defense. The Bruins played tough defense against the Spartans around the rim. MSU players had extreme difficulty getting into the paint. On the bright side, Marcus Bingham had two stern blocks at the start of the game.

The Bruins held the Spartans captive in terms of pace. UCLA used up all of the shot clock on nearly each and every possession. Furthermore, they focused on transition defense, allowing no easy baskets. MSU struggled at first against this defensive strategy but got back on pace with time. Eventually, the Spartans found their rhythm.

Late in the half, MSU went on a beautiful 10-2 run. Cassius Winston got loose in transition for an off-balance three. He later hit another three to bring it to 24-20. Unfortunately, Michigan State lost a shooter in the corner. On the next play though, Winston got a nice layup off a second chance opportunity.

At the end of the first half, MSU led UCLA 26-23.

Second Half

Tom Izzo changed the starting lineup to start the second half, replacing Aaron Henry with Gabe Brown. Almost immediately, Marcus Bingham blocked his third shot at the rim. On the other end, Gabe Brown is wide open in the corner and wets a three. Then, Rocket Watts played tough defense to force a UCLA shot clock violation. On the next offensive possession, Brown hit yet another three and gave MSU a 36-25 lead.

Michigan State failed to take advantage of UCLA switches but that did not matter. The refs continued to make poor call after poor call but that did not matter. The Spartans were on a mission. Rocket Watts drove to the rim, absorbed contact, and hit the shot.

Winston hit his third three of the game to give MSU a 41-30 lead. Then, Malik Hall had a wonderful couple of possessions. Hall drew a foul for free throws, hit a turnaround elbow jumper, and then drew yet another foul for more free throws on three consecutive possessions.

Rocket Watts hit a smooth step-back and-one shot. With 10 minutes left in the game, MSU pulls away and Winston shows out. Aaron Henry, who was hounded by Izzo all game long, drove and kicked the ball to Tillman for a bucket. UCLA did not give up though, instead they clawed back to single digits, MSU led 61-52.

Malik Hall fouled out of the game with less than five minutes left in the game. I don’t blame Hall though. The refs called fouls on him for simply standing in front of defenders. Finally, Xavier Tillman woke up. Tillman had a humungous block at one end then a nice dunk on the other end.

UCLA was still within striking distance down nine points to MSU. Winston found Tillman for an easy bucket at the rim. Then, Rocket Watts closed out the game for the Spartans. Watts hit an ice-cold three-point shot in transition to put Michigan State out of striking distance. Again, what a game.

Check out some highlights below:

I’m sure there are critical fans out there but please relax. Remember, it’s just November. Tom Izzo is playing a lot of young guys. It will take time for them to get in the full swing of things. For example, Rocket Watts just put up a career-high 12 points. I imagine his numbers continue to trend upwards.

Spartan’s Basketball is back in action against Duke on Dec. 3 at 9:30 P.M. Michigan State will retire Draymond Green’s jersey at this game. Be sure to tune into ESPN to cheer on the Spartans.

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MSU Basketball vs. UCLA: Three Things To Watch

Michigan State Basketball is set to face UCLA at 2:30 on Tuesday, Nov. 26. This comes after a 93-85 victory over Georgia. Michigan State has underperformed in the tournament so far and must vastly improve before their game against Duke on Dec. 3. …

Michigan State Basketball is set to face UCLA at 2:30 on Tuesday, Nov. 26. This comes after a 93-85 victory over Georgia. Michigan State has underperformed in the tournament so far and must vastly improve before their game against Duke on Dec. 3.

Here are three things to watch in this game against the UCLA Bruins:

Xavier Tillman

Should we be concerned over Xavier Tillman’s performance thus far this season? Right now, he’s averaging 11.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. On paper, this is an improvement over last year in every statistical category, but, he just doesn’t look right.

Tillman currently averages 2.4 turnovers and tallied up three in just the game against Georgia. You expect turnovers from a young player like Rocket Watts but not from Tillman. Worst of all, Xavier is making unforced errors.

Michigan State cannot afford for Tillman to continue this play. Yes, his rebound total is impressive night in and night out, but, he must be wiser with the basketball. Also, he must have a stronger presence around the rim. Watch for Tillman’s improvements against UCLA.

MSU’s Forward Rotation

Marcus Bingham got the start against Georgia instead of Kithier. Personally, I back this decision up. Thomas Kithier is not bad, but, he’s not getting the job done. Especially after a rather horrific defensive performance against Virginia Tech.

Bingham looked great out on the floor. Bill Walton is Bingham’s number one fan. I think that Marcus Bingham brings so much energy to the game. Plus, he usually ends the game with at least one steal and a block.

Malik Hall will definitely get more clock as the season progresses. Against Georgia, Hall had an absolutely vicious dunk. Best of all, he did this while MSU was up by nearly 20 points. That’s the sign of someone with killer instinct.

Guard Depth

Michigan State is absolutely brutal without Cassius Winston on the floor. The offense is discombobulated and the perimeter defense is easily to exploit. More often than not, opposing guards blow right by Foster Loyer for easy buckets at the rim. The Spartan’s lack of Guard depth is a serious problem right now.

What can MSU do? Kyle Ahrens is still working towards full health. As I just mentioned, Loyer can be a defensive liability on any given play. Rocket Watts is moving towards high-quality Guard play but still needs another month of development.

The Joshua Langford injury did more damage than anyone could have imagined. Spartan’s Basketball is in a trial by fire situation. We’ll just have to see how they hold up. Tom Izzo is certainly scheming up something for UCLA.

You can catch this game against UCLA at 2:30 P.M. on ESPN2.

Stay locked on SpartansWire for more coverage to come.

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